EUGENE -- There are many things about Nick Symmonds of which we're aware. For instance, he's from Boise and ran collegiate track at Willamette University. Plus, he's the fastest man in the United States in the 800 meters.

But there are things about Symmonds that he needs us to know, mostly the aspects of his robust life that might compel his devoted followers via social media to conclude he is -- and these are his words -- "the most interesting man in the world."

Are you listening, Dos Equis? If so, there's ample room on his body for additional temporary tattoos, more than the Hanson Dodge Creative logo and Twitter handle currently occupying a two-inch space on his left shoulder. He auctioned it off on eBay, fetching $11,100. Symmonds insists the purpose was to illuminate the struggles his peers experience while pursuing their dreams, which is admirable and has been well documented.

But then Symmonds feels like sharing again.

"People want to say we're athletes, where we lead these lives like monks, where we train in the mountains and come down and do our thing," he said. "At the end of the day, we're entertainers. We don't have a sport if people don't tune in to watch us compete. We have to make it entertaining, interact with the fans, put on a show, you know?

"And a lot of that involves building your brand, building a following and having people say, 'I want to watch this kid run.'"

Symmonds demands your attention. Craves it, really.

He's much more than someone who, as he so bluntly describes, runs around in circles. Being so engaging, having so much fun, is serious business. So much so, in fact, that he's incorporated. It's true -- Nick Symmonds, LLC was registered May 24, 2011, with Oregon's secretary of state.

Which makes sense because he's clearly a salesman, pure and simple -- even if what he's selling isn't so easy to define. This moment, the U.S. trials and likely beyond, is all about maximizing his exposure, and damned if Symmonds, 28 and uncertain of where his future lies in the sport, isn't going to seize the day.

"Like any good business, you have to continue to develop your brand and evolve with the times," he said. "You have to grow and expand, and that's absolutely what I'm about."

He has a platform and, because of his standing in the sport, a somewhat captive audience. So don't expect his incessant skewering of track's governing bodies, the IAAF and USA Track and Field, to stop any time soon. He refuses to speak on the topic at the moment, citing the potential of too much negativity clouding his positive mind. But a couple of weeks ago, at the Prefontaine Classic, Symmonds launched into a lengthy diatribe questioning why track athletes weren't allowed to embrace all of the advertising prospects other sports enjoy, labeling the IAAF's and USA Track and Field's rules "antiquated."

Because he's so outspoken, this, almost by default, has become his cause. But his alone.

"He's being very entrepreneurial and I think that's good," fellow Oregon Track Club/Eugene teammate Andrew Wheating said. "He's right in the sense that the sport could easily pick up a few more sponsors and make it interesting to a lot of different eyes. But as far as a lot of us are concerned, as much as we like what he's doing, we're pretty faithful to our shoe companies. We don't want to step on anyone's toes.

"Nick likes to make waves, but I feel like he's going to get a tsunami back in his face if he's not careful."

An avid outdoorsman who fishes every week and eschews video games and television, Symmonds would likely laugh at the imagery. He needs to be distracted, he says, because he gets bored so easily. Training consumes only 4-5 hours of each day, which leaves a lot of time for other pursuits, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.

During a recent five-minute interview, Symmonds mentioned Paris Hilton, the socialite extraordinaire whom he has been courting, five times. After a few emails, they recently met in Beverly Hills for a drink, and the runner is hopeful Hilton will accept his offer to be his "date" for the trials and the Olympic Games in London.

Just who does Nick Symmonds think he is?

"The easy answer is professional runner or Olympian, but I want to go way beyond that," he said. "I want to say Nick Symmonds is a guy who lives life to the fullest in every sense of his life."

At some point, though -- and how long has it been since his running has been mentioned? -- his ability has to be the story, doesn't it? Such as how he led the so-called "Oregon sweep" in the 800 at the 2008 Olympic trials? Shouldn't we be analyzing that fabulous finishing kick of his?

But talking about all of that isn't cool.

Know what is? Don't worry -- Symmonds is going to share.

"I just asked Paris Hilton on a date last week," he said. "I want a 14-year-old kid, like I was, to look at track and say, 'Damn, track is cool.' If you're 14 and you're an incredible athlete, you can do either track or football. You see all of these football players living these amazing lives, doing amazing things. What's to make you do track?

"I want to show kids ... I've been to 30 countries, competed on four continents. I'm exchanging emails with Paris Hilton. This is a cool sport."